Book Club

June & July Book clubs

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In June, we’ll meet on Sunday, June 13 at 2 p.m. to discuss Peter Swanson’s Eight Perfect Murders.  This book is available for purchase on our website.  From the  publisher: Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne’s Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox’s Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald’s The Drowner, and Donna Tartt’s A Secret History. read more

Book Club: Thin Ice

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Paige Shelton will join our book club via zoom on Sunday, May 16, at 2 p.m.  Message us on facebook or contact us at store (at) auntagathas.com for a zoom invitation.  We’ll be reading the first book in her Alaska Wild series, Thin Ice.   The second novel, Cold Wind, is nominated for a Mary Higgins Clark Award this year!

Here’s a precis of Thin Ice, and you can read my review of Cold Wind here.

Beth Rivers is on the run – she’s doing the only thing she could think of to keep herself safe. Known to the world as thriller author Elizabeth Fairchild, she had become the subject of a fanatic’s obsession. After being held in a van for three days by her kidnapper, Levi Brooks, Beth managed to escape, and until he is captured, she’s got to get away. Cold and remote, Alaska seems tailor-made for her to hideout. read more

Book Club: When No One is Watching

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Join our book club on Sunday,  April 18 at 2 p.m. via zoom to discuss Alyssa Cole’s Edgar nominee, When No One is Watching.  All are welcome – message us on facebook or email us at store (at) auntagathas.com for a zoom invitation.  Here’s a precis of the novel:

Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block—her neighbor Theo. read more

Book Club – January, February and March

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All are welcome to joins us at upcoming book clubs via zoom.  Message us on facebook or at store (at) auntagathas.com to receive a zoom invitation.

On Sunday, January 17, at 2 p.m. join us when we discuss Kwei Quartey’s The Missing American, the first in his series featuring P.I. Emma Djan. When her dreams of rising through the police ranks like her late father crash around her, 26-year-old Emma Djan is unsure what will become of her life in Accra. Through a sympathetic former colleague, Emma gets an interview with a private detective agency tracking down missing persons, thefts, and marital infidelities. It’s not the future she imagined, but it’s her best option. read more

Book Club read: Murderous Mistral

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Join our book club via zoom on Sunday, September 27 at 2 p.m. when we’ll discuss Cay Rademacher’s Murderous Mistral.  Anyone is welcome – to receive a zoom invite, email store (at) auntagathas.com.  The book was recommended by author G.M. Malliet.

Here’s a description, courtesy of goodreads: An atmospheric murder mystery set in the south of France.

Capitaine Roger Blanc, an investigator with the anti-corruption-unit of the French Gendarmerie, was a bit too successful in his investigations. He finds himself removed from Paris to the south of France, far away from political power. Or so it would seem. read more

August Book Club: American Spy

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Join our August book club discussion via zoom on Sunday, August 23 at 2 p.m.  We’ll e discussing Lauren Wilkinson‘s Edgar nominated American Spy.  All are welcome.  Email store (at) auntagathas.com to receive a zoom invitation. Here’s a description of the book, via goodreads:

What if your sense of duty required you to betray the man you love? One woman struggles to choose between her honor and her heart in this enthralling espionage drama that deftly hops between New York and West Africa. read more

Book Club Read: The Moonstone

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For our March book club, we’ll read Wilkie Collin’s 1871 classic, The Moonstone.  We are meeting on Thursday, March 26, 6 p.m. at Seva, which is at Westgate shopping center.  This book is Victorian so the writing is more flowery and detailed than you might be used to but the story it fantastic and the basis for so many other detective stories throughout history.  From a review on NPR by Chitra Divakaruni in 2013:

“I was struck by how masterfully Collins pulls together the different strands of a complicated plot. T.S. Eliot called The Moonstone “the first, the longest, and the best of the modern English detective novel.” I could see why. Reading the book was a little like seeing the Wright brothers maneuvering their first aircraft, except there was no awkward bucking, no crashes. read more

February Book Club: Allen Eskens

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Join us at Seva (Westgate shopping center) on Thursday, February 20, at 6 p.m. to discuss The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens.  All are welcome!  In March we’ll be discussing The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

The publisher’s description:  College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe’s life is ever the same. read more

Book Club read: The Stranger Diaries

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Our next book club will meet on Thursday, January 16, 6 p.m. at the Grand Traverse Pie Company, 291 N. Zeeb Rd.  We’ll be disussing Elly Griffiths’ stand alone, The Stranger Diaries, a gothic style ghost story set in present day Britain on the grounds of a slightly creepy old school.  Griffiths introduces three strong female characters who share narrative duties.  Clever, hard to put down & beautifully written.  Purchase a copy on the website here. In February, we’ll be reading The Life We Bury by Alan Eskens, date to be announced.  All are welcome at book club! read more

November Book Club: A Borrowing of Bones

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Join us on Thursday, November 21, 6 p.m. at the Session Room to discuss Paula Munier’s debut, A Borrowing of Bones.  This well written novel focuses on Mercy (human) and Elvis (canine), both back from Afghanistan and both suffering from PTSD.  Together they form a good team.  Setting, character and plot are all excellent – all are welcome to join our discussion! Read my review here